As the plane touched down in Queenstown, we were greeted by incredible mountains that filled the landscape around us. We quickly jumped into the rental car and took off towards the center of town, eager to start the adventures we had planned for the day. To begin we stopped at a local bakery and feasted on meat pies. We left the bakery feeling satisfied, warm, and full of energy.
While it was our first day here in Queenstown, Eoin and I decided to part ways for the afternoon and made plans to do different things within the area. Eoin decided to indulge his thrill seeking side and bungy jumped in the Nevis Canyon. While bungy jumping sounded exhilarating, I decided to take the skyline gondola to get a good view of the city and from there start the Ben Lomond Track, which would take me to the summit of the mountain and offered an incredible 360 degree panoramic view of the surrounding area.
As I boarded the gondola the words of Nikki (our Poneke "mother" in wellington) bounced around in my brain. I could hear her telling us how we wouldn't have enough warm clothes and how we'd be freezing on our hikes. I began to wonder if I was ill prepared for the 5 hour trek I was about to begin. As the gondola reached the top and I stepped out onto the viewing platform, I was greeted by stunning views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Before I could get too caught up in the beautiful scenery i pushed on the the trail head which was further up the hill. The trail head was at the mouth of a very ominous looking forest, in which the trees absorbed all the light and shrouded the area in darkness. After briefly walking in the forest the trail opens up and you are greeted by a picturesque mountain scene. As I continued to walk with the mountain on my left and a smaller mountain on my left, I was convinced that the trail was leading me to the smaller mountain. After hours of climbing up this track my legs were begging me to take a break and sweat was dripping down my face. After the short break, I continued to move on and slowly I could see the trail begin to move left towards the jagged rock face of the Ben Lomond summit. My mind was my biggest enemy as I had to drown out the negative thoughts with music because I was not about to turn back. As I began the journey up to the summit the incline increased dramatically and jagged rocks peaked through the snow. It was tough going, but I managed to make good time to the top and I was rewarded for my efforts. The cool breeze cooled down my body as I gazed upon the incredible views that the summit offered. The pictures could not capture the breathtaking view that surrounded me, and the sheer size and presence of the mountains around me. The mountains reminded me of the Lord of the Rings scene where the beacon fires are lit and they dot the peaks of the mountains.
As I made my way back down the summit it was slow going because the ice and snow forced me to take extreme caution in my steps. The hike down was extremely quick and felt like nothing in comparison to what I had endured going up. Stepping into the gondola I was relieved to finally sit down, but was disappointed that my journey was over. Tomorrow we hope to walk a portion of the Routeburn track called the Sugarloaf that begins just outside Glenorchy.
Comments